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Trilateral gas meeting of Russia, EU and Ukraine to be held in December — EC spokesperson

The European Commission spokesperson said the EU welcomes direct gas talks between Moscow and Kiev

BRUSSELS, December 6. /TASS/. The date of the next trilateral ministerial gas meeting of Russia, the EU and Ukraine has not been agreed yet, a spokesperson of the European Commission (EC) said at a briefing on Friday.

"We welcome the ongoing bilateral contacts between Russia and Ukraine and the Commission also remains in close contact with both sides," the spokesperson commented. The trilateral gas meeting at the ministerial level is "envisioned to take place in December," he noted.

The next trilateral gas consultations may be held as early as the next week, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told reporters yesterday.

The contract for the supply and transit of gas through Ukraine between Gazprom and Naftogaz ends on December 31, 2019. Russia, Ukraine, and the European Commission continue to hold consultations on the transit of Russian gas to the EU through Ukrainian territory after 2020, although the dialogue is complicated by litigations between Gazprom and Naftogaz.

Moscow offers a "package solution" that includes a settlement agreement on litigation and direct gas purchases at reduced rates. As a fallback, Russia is ready to extend the current transit agreement for 2020.

However, Ukraine considers rejection of litigation and signing of a short-term contract unacceptable. At the same time, in November, Executive Director of Naftogaz Yury Vitrenko announced that Ukraine would pump transit gas from Russia to its underground storage facilities if it entered the country without an appropriate contract starting January 1, 2020.